Do I need to buy insurance for my courier driver?

Insurance is something you should always make sure you have in order whenever you are shipping anything with a courier company. If your goods were not properly insured, you could be exposed to a massive loss if something went wrong during a shipment. Usually, though, a quick call should confirm that you have more than enough insurance for any shipment. The average Chicago delivery service will have more than enough insurance to cover the value of anything you send, no matter what might go wrong.

There is a type of insurance that insurance companies provide that is specific to the courier industry, and it is simply called courier insurance. These are the policies that will protect you if your package is damaged or lost by the courier company. Courier insurance is usually quite comprehensive. There isn’t much that can happen to a package you’re shipping that isn’t covered by this type of insurance policy.

First, if there is any damage to the package during shipping, the courier company’s insurance should cover the damage. This will include if the courier vehicle is in a traffic accident. If the courier damages the package, for example by dropping it or hitting it against a car door, that will usually be covered. Additional forms of damage such as fire that can occur when the goods are in storage are generally included in these policies as well.

Occasionally packages can get lost when you send them with a courier company. Sometimes they are sent to the wrong addresses, and sometimes they just get lost, with no one being sure what happened to them. When this happens, the courier insurance will cover the value of the package. Theft is another thing you are insured against.

Ultimately, the responsibility for purchasing insurance for a courier driver should not rest with the customer of the courier company. Depending on the business model your courier is using, this should be the responsibility of the courier company or the individual courier driver. That could be the case, for example, if the courier company subcontracts drivers instead of using employee drivers. Although it should be your responsibility, it is wise to always ask if insurance is present and, if so, to what value your property will be insured.